“He knew nothing but saw everything.”

It never ceases to amaze me that men (artists, designers, writers, authors, and business men) that I never knew existed, are now asking me (some average-joe from up North sharing bits and pieces of his life on somewordpress blogs) to “review” their works.

Why would these men want me to read/listen and then comment/critique their art?

That thought crosses my mind when I get a review copy of someones book.

Other than perhaps finding some spelling mistakes (I did not see any in this one yet) what the hell can I offer them that will help to contribute to the success of their creation?

A voice.

I like to think of it as our, “Manosphere Book Club.” We can write, read, share, and review each others books and let each other know if they suck or not. A place to spread the word and to help our brothers out with some cash flow.

“I am the Sun” by Dave Hoffman is one of those books that does not suck. Dave gave me this book around May of 2015. Dave, sorry this took so damn long. Also, I still have not finished it. Not because I do not like the book. It is because ___________ (insert excuse here). Life happens, you know how it is. I recently picked it up again and remembered how well it is written. For a laymen like myself it sure makes it easier to enjoy a piece of fiction.

You see, I do not usually read science fiction. Or even fiction for that matter. Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres within film and television, but, when it comes to books, I stick to non-fiction. Topics on the sciences mostly, like – Physics, Cosmology, Psychology, Biology (all of them tied together), etc.

So when Dave was kind enough to give me a copy of his book for a review, I was a bit skeptical about how well it would be received.

It was received well.

In “I am the Sun,” by author Dave Hoffman, proprietor of the site cydoniansignal.com, the reader is taken on an exciting sci-fi adventure with the use of an incredibly unique story line, wonderful imagery, and an elegant yet accessible prose.

Here are some examples of passages from the book that I enjoyed reading (the pictures below the quotes are close to what I was picturing in my head):

“Josh lay on a cloud in the form of a leather couch, one that smelled of old marijuana. Chemicals flowed throughout his body, in and out of his cells, between the cells, within the cells. The cells themselves were the chemicals.”

“The city was alive in a slow hurricane of lights. Buildings swam over the skyline like flying stingrays while veins of cars and streetlights rippled like ocean waves. Buildings met stars and stars drifted into buildings. The image before him broke apart into an incorporeal kaleidoscope of color.”

“Josh tried to speak to the Sun like he had with the little suns, but it was too busy pouring energy into the abyss. He spoke to the Moon, but it did not reply. He tried to speak to Jupiter, but he soon grew bored and cold in waiting for a reply. So, he returned to the planet and flew along its surface, over aberrations of silica from dead eons until he found himself a small spot away from man, to lay down in field of grass within a haze of spiraling time. He listened to the sound of crickets, echoing ten thousand years into the future and back. He breathed in air and breathed out a new universe.”

I also pictured scenes that looked Heavy Metal-esque (if you remember that movie).

Earth’s technological progress in the 22nd century has ended in stagnation, except for one aspect, hidden in the underground. A street drug stolen from DARPA can give one the ability to move matter, travel through space, and see through multiple dimensions, but at the cost of cracking open the pure mind. Most become Gods absent of thought, prone to self-annihilation, but a very few are able to stand the breakdown and are reborn.

The governments of the world cannot allow them to break free, nor can they let the failures destroy civilization as they psychically implode. An underground war wages to stomp them out.

And yet it may all be for nothing. The sparks of transdimensional thought are being noticed deeper in the metaverse. An apex approaches that will split the timeline of mankind, one toward destruction, the other toward ascension.

Even though I am not done reading this book yet, I highly recommend it based on the creative symbolism and unique story. Especially recommended to anyone who really likes science fiction. As a matter of fact, this book is written so well that I would not be surprised if this book was up for some kind of indie-sci-fi novel award. If it is not, it should be. If it is not, I will help give him a voice so that it will be.

Thanks Dave for trusting me with a copy of your art.

You can grab his science fiction treasure, “I am the Sun” from Amazon here (no affiliate).